February 18, 2015
NOTE: This comment was originally posted on Wed, 2015-02-18 20:33, but was inadvertently deleted. I have now restored it.
On January 7, 2015, Saul Shiffman and colleagues published "The impact of flavor descriptors on nonsmoking teens’ and adult smokers’ interest in electronic cigarettes" in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. This paper, reported work funded by the NJOY e-cigarette company, concluded that "The e-cigarette flavors tested appealed more to adult smokers than to nonsmoking teens, but interest in flavors was low for both groups."
This is an important conclusion for the e-cigarette industry, which has been challenged by evidence that flavors attract kids to e-cigarettes.
February 18, 2015
Our latest Smokefree Movies ad ran in Variety on February 17, 2015 and will run in Hollywood Reporter on February 25, 2015. It introduces and supports the grassroots campaign for Smokefree Moves, ignited by Reality Check New York and the Ontario Coalition for Smoke-Free Movies,
The text of the ad (large copy) reads:
One little picture can make a difference, too.
February 16, 2015
This is a must-see video, since it takes arcane details of international trade and translates it into English. Watch it on YouTube here.
For a more academic discussion of how the pending Trans Pacific Partnership will help Big Tobacco and other corporate interests fight public health, environmental, and other public interest actions, take a look at our paper "Health preemption behind closed doors: trade agreements and fast-track authority." (If you cannot access the full text email me and I will send a PDF.)
Another good paper on these issues written by a trade lawyer is available here.
These issues are very important because President Obama and the Republicans have identified trade as an area for cooperation (and the Republican leadership in Congress has aggressively supported tobacco companies on trade issues).
February 8, 2015
January 28, 2015
The California Department of Public Health just issued this press statement. I have reviewed the materials that they have produced and they are world-class resources that everyone should be using to guide policymaking and educational campaigns on e-cigarettes.
SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) director and state health officer Dr. Ron Chapman today issued a Health Advisory and the “State Health Officer’s Report on E-Cigarettes: A Community Health Threat,” warning Californians of the toxicity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).
“E-cigarettes contain nicotine and other harmful chemicals, and the nicotine in them is as addictive as the nicotine in cigarettes,” said Chapman. “There is a lot of misinformation about e-cigarettes. That is why, as the state’s health officer, I am advising Californians to avoid the use of e-cigarettes and keep them away from children of all ages.”